COMMENTS

In their relationship to Europe, both Britain and Romania are situated at the continent’s edge, but that is where any list of comparisons between the two countries usually ends. Certainly, both countries are members of the European Union, but their respective responses to the European Union differ markedly. Polls conducted by Eurobarometer consistently put Romanians among the most enthusiastic supporters of the European Union, and the British (along with the Greeks) among the least. But what are the historical roots of Romanian and British attitudes towards Europe and the European idea?
27 July 2015
Prof. Martyn Rady More...

Young people in the UK today who are attracted to extremism are typically well educated. Given the weaknesses of this ideology in terms of its use of history, internal coherence of arguments and moral standards, its success with many educated young people requires explanation. The explanation, according to Dr. Farid, is multifaceted but education has a big role to play in curbing the trend.2 June 2015Dr. Farid Panjwani More...

Christopher Bickerton, lecturer in Politics at the University of Cambridge, discusses how how the impending EU referendum in the UK necessitates open and unbiased academic debate, and how British discussions of EU reform may reverberate across the European continent.15 May 2015Dr. Christopher Bickerton More...

Britain & Europe resource area

3 December 2013

The relationship between Britain and Europe is a
highly contested issue
that dominates political and academic debates. As part of a year-long
'Britain and
Europe' seminar series at UCL, which examines the relationship between
the United
Kingdom and both the EU and the Council of Europe, we are collating up
to date information on a range of important policy issues.

We
will be adding bibliographical and online resources to this page throughout the academic year
2013-14. The directory already includes pages on the EU Act 2011 and its provisions for an in-out EU referendum; the debates on Human Rights between the European Court of Human Rights and a British Bill of Rights; and the Single Market, especially liberalisation, harmonisation,
mutual
recognition and the balance of competences. It will eventually cover a wide range of topics, including the
EU
referendum, immigration, human rights, competition policy and taxation.

The new area also houses our first policy brief on the changes brought about by the EU Act 2011, in relation to Britain’s
position in and attitude towards, the European Union. It considers the
referendum provisions of the EUA; referenda and UK constitutional law;
and the role of referenda in democratic deliberation.